In the automotive industry, knowledge of the rheological properties of lubricants or engine oils and in particular the evaluation of the load bearing capacity of engine oils under realistic conditions in journal bearings is important.
Currently the measurement of the load bearing capacity of a lubricant is carried out by determining the minimum oil film thickness in the journal bearings of either a fired engine or dynamically or statically loaded motored rig.
Such tests are necessary for establishing the identity of the rheological properties which determine a lubricant's load bearing capacity in an operating journal bearing of an engine and for ranking the performance of lubricants in journal bearings.
However, such tests are difficult and time consuming to operate and therefore are not suitable for routine use either for product development or classification purposes.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a simple and rapid laboratory test to assess load bearing capacity.
It is another object of the invention to provide an easy-to-operate, relatively cheap bench apparatus for simulating the big-end and main journal bearings of the automotive (gasoline and diesel) engine.